The beginning of each year is a great time to evaluate the direction of your life and to ask yourself some very important questions. Often we get so busy just living life that we lose our perspective. It is important for each of us to take time once in a while to reassess how our lives are going. It is also important for all of us to reassess the direction that our nation is heading in every so often. The truth is that America has gotten badly off track. We have abandoned the principles which once made this country great, and this country is literally falling apart all around us. Hopefully the questions below will not just get you focused on our problems. Hopefully they will also spur you to think about solutions. Both individually and as a nation, we are in a lot of trouble. We need to start asking better questions and we need to rediscover the things that once made America the greatest nation on earth. If we are willing to humble ourselves and change course then there is hope for us. If not, then the road that we are currently on will only lead to national disaster.

The following are 112 questions to ask yourself in 2012….

#1 Are Barack Obama and Mitt Romney really the best that America can come up with?

#2 Right now the nations of the world are 55 Trillion Dollars in debt. How long will it be before this system of debt totally collapses?

#3 What things in life are you truly grateful for? Do you ever take time to thank those that have been so good to you?

#4 In 2012, when you add the maturing debt that the Italian government must roll over to their projected budget deficit, it comes to 23.1 Percent of Italy’s GDP. How in the world is Italy going to be able to handle that in this economic environment?

#5 What do you feel like you are missing in life? Are you actively looking for those things?

#6 According to a survey conducted by the National Geographic Society, only37 Percent of all Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 can find Iraq on a map of the world. What does that say about our Education System?

#7 Do you give more than you take? Would you rather serve people or be served?

#29 What is the best piece of advice that you have ever gotten? Are you still following it?

#30 Is it a good thing that the wealthiest 10 percent of all Americans have 56 Percent of all the wealth?

#31 What books do you need to put on your reading list this year?

#32About Half of all Americans are now either living in poverty or are considered to be low income. So are we still a “wealthy” nation?

#33 What are the things that you do that waste the most time?

#34 Why aren’t more Americans concerned that the trade deficit Is Increasing Again? This is one of the things that killed the Greek economy and it is most definitely sucking the life out of our own economy. Could it be that most Americans have become so “dumbed down” that they don’t even know what a trade deficit is?

#35 What would happen to you and your family if you suddenly lost your job?

#59 What would your plan be if there was a major volcanic eruption on the west coast of the United States?

#60 If 63 Percent of all mortgaged properties in the state of Nevada are still “underwater”, then how in the world can anyone claim that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the housing crisis?

#61 Why is the federal government arresting people who produce raw milk?

#68 While the TSA is groping millions of Americans at airports every year,Rampant Sex Trafficking is going on in virtually every major American city. Isn’t it time that we admitted that our allocation of law enforcement resources is very seriously flawed?

#69 How can you make next week better than this week?

#70 One recent survey found that only 29 Percent of people would describe themselves as “very happy”. So what does that say about the state of our country?

#71 Do you consider yourself to be good? If so, how did you determine that?

#72 If we are on the verge of a Global Recession, then why is the stock market still so high?

#73 What would happen if government spending was cut by 50 percent?

#74 Is the euro going to eventually fall To Parity with the U.S. dollar?

#75 If the euro fails, what will Europe do? Would national currencies make a comeback or would a new “European currency” be created?

#79 Is it likely that your eating habits will send you to an early grave? If so, why not make this the year when they change?

#80 Why aren’t politicians from either major political party doing something to stop the massive flood of Blue Collar jobs that is pouring out of this country? Don’t they care about average Americans?

#81 Why do we spend so much time on things that simply do not matter?

#82 Since 1971, consumer debt in the United States has increased by a whopping 1700%. Is that a sign of a nation that is going to be prosperous in the long run?

#83 Does the U.S. need a new major political party?

#84 The U.S. Debt problem continues to escalate. During the Obama administration, the U.S. government has accumulated more debt than it did from the time that George Washington took office To The Time That Bill Clinton Took Office. Very few of our politicians seem alarmed by this. Are we the stupidest generation in American history?

#85 Does the U.S. need a new Constitutional Convention?

#86 When we finally see the U.S. economy Collapse, who will be in better shape – those that have spent years Preparing or those that have not prepared at all?

#87 Are you so afraid to fail that you simply do not even try anymore?

#88 We are facing the most horrific Retirement Crisis in U.S. history. Right now, more than 10,000 Baby Boomers are turning 65 every single day. So where in the world are we going to get all the money we need to pay them the retirement benefits that we have promised them? Isn’t the Social Security system essentially one gigantic Ponzi scheme?

#89 If people started following your example, would that be a good thing?

#90 According to one Gallup survey, 7 Out Of Every 10 Americans believe that religion is losing influence in the United States. Is that good for America or bad for America?

#91 Do you ever do anything that is outside of your comfort zone?

#92 The U.S. dollar has lost well Over 95 Percent of its value since the Federal Reserve was created, the U.S. national debt is more than 5000 times larger than it was when the Federal Reserve was created and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has a track record of incompetence that is absolutelymind Blowing. So what possible justification is there for allowing the Federal Reserve to continue to issue our currency and run our economy?

#93 If you lost everything that you currently own, would your life be over?

#94 If the European financial system is going to be just fine, then why is the UK government Preparing Feverishly for the collapse of the euro?

#95 When you meet someone for the first time, do you tend to instantly love them or do you tend to instantly judge them?

#96 If the one thing that almost everyone in the Republican Party seems to agree on is that Obamacare is bad, then why is the candidate That Created The Plan that much of Obamacare was based upon about to run away with the race for the Republican nomination?

#97 Do you feel like you are truly alive? If not, what can you do to change that?

#98 Why have we allowed the “too big to fail” banks to become Even Larger?

#99 Who are you living your life for? Does the answer to that question excite you or depress you?

#100 One recent survey found that 77 Percent of all U.S. small businesses do not plan to hire any more workers. So where are all of the jobs for the “economic recovery” going to come from?

#101 As you have gotten older, have you also become more loving?

#102 Since 1964, the reelection rate for members of the U.S. House of Representatives Has Never Fallen Below 85 Percent. How stupid can the American people possibly be? They keep sending the exact same Congress Critters back to Washington D.C. over and over and over.

#103 Do you treat others the way that you would like to be treated?

#104 According to a recent Pew Research Center analysis, only 51 Percent of all Americans that are at least 18 years old are currently married. Back in 1960, 72 Percent of all U.S. adults were married. Without strong family units, can America survive?

#105 Do you prefer to forgive those that have hurt you or do your prefer to hold long grudges?

#106 According to an analysis of Census Bureau data done by the Pew Research Center, the median net worth for households led by someone 65 years of age or older Is 47 Times Greater than the median net worth for households led by someone under the age of 35. So why are so many young people so broke?

#107 Do you tell your family and your friends that you love them or do you just assume that they already know?

#108 According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 36.4% of all children that live in Philadelphia are living in poverty, 40.1% of all children that live in Atlanta are living in poverty, 52.6% of all children that live in Cleveland are living in poverty and 53.6% of all children that live in Detroit are living in poverty. How bad are things going to be when the economy gets even worse?

#109 If Bill Gates gave every single penny of his fortune to the U.S. government, it would only cover the U.S. budget deficit For About 15 Days. How in the world can we justify putting so much debt on to the backs of future generations?

#110 How do you want the story of your life to end?

#111 Will the years ahead find you Cowering In Fear or will they find you enjoying greater adventures than you ever dreamed of?

#112 If you had the opportunity to tell everyone in America one thing, what would it be?

This is no Matrix – this is the real world. And that’s what makes this video so frightening. Once upon a time, we used gold for money and it worked well for thousands of years because it keeps its purchasing power. Compare that to modern money, which buys you less and less each year.

In the hundred years that the Federal Reserve was formed to “protect” the currency, the purchasing power of the dollar has lost almost 98% of its value. Under a Fiat paper money program, there is no limit as to how much money can be created, leading to spiraling inevitable inflation and our current monetary fiasco that shows absolutely no signs of improving. Here’s the real money secret:

AS ALL FIAT CURRENCIES FAIL, GOLD IS THE ONLY CURRENCY YOU CAN TRUSTGet It Now your Own Gold Savings
Are you protected from the monetary madness? Have you redenominated your savings into real money?

It doesn’t matter what part of the world you are from, we are all faced with the same dilemma. You need to start putting aside some money and converting it to gold. Karatbars, International is the world’s first and only private gold currency exchange system that allows you to convert your fiat paper money into gold with no fees whatsoever. What will it take for you to take action? This is your last chance…

Karatbar affiliates can create leverage by locating, setting up, and working with businesses that are already involved in the precious metals industry at some level or another. Brick and mortar locations that are already dealing with buying/selling gold jewelry, coins, bars and ingots, are a “yes” waiting to happen. Here’s how:

Have a $10 or $20 bill and a Karatabar in your shirt pocket or in your pants pocket when you go into the marketplace. (The best businesses are the ones that the owner or decision maker is present, or even better, runs the cash register.) When you’re ready to make a purchase, tell them: “I can pay you with this (hold up your paper money) or with this (hold up your Karatbar)… which do you prefer?” Watch their reaction as they will surely ask questions about the Karatbar.

Then say the following or something to this effect: “as a matter of fact, our company is looking for new locations to bring this product from the refinery and mint to the consumer – if you want some information – I can show you now or whenever is best for you”.

Of course at that time, you can refer them to the new 2 minute recorded “sizzle” call: 1-218-844-3182 access code: 73610904

The result? A new team member for you to grow your Karatbars business. Not a Karatbars affiliate yet? Then register as a Karatbar affiliate for free here and we’ll show you step by step how to be successful with your own gold business helping people hedge against financial crisis. Do you think there’s a need for this?

Please take this statement to heart: If we do not educate the American people about how deathly ill the U.S. economy has become, then they will just keep falling for the same old lies that our politicians keep telling them. Just ‘tweaking’ things here and there is not going to fix this economy.

Indeed, America’s economic situation has become increasingly unstable. However, what’s arguably more disconcerting than the state of the U.S. economy is the fact many Americans are largely–if not completely–unaware of just how serious things have become.

America is consuming far more wealth than it is producing and our debt is absolutely exploding. If we stay on this current path, an economic collapse is inevitable. Hopefully the crazy economic numbers from 2011 included in this article below will be shocking enough to wake some people up. If we all work together, hopefully we can get millions of people to wake up and realize that ‘business as usual’ will result in a complete national economic apocalypse. Here are the 50 economic numbers from 2011 that will shock you (via The Economic Collapse):

A staggering 48 percent of all Americans are either considered to be “low income” or are living in poverty.

Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are living in homes that are either considered to be “low income” or impoverished.

If the number of Americans that “wanted jobs” was the same today as it was back in 2007, the “official” unemployment rate put out by the U.S. government would be up to 11 percent.

The average amount of time that a worker stays unemployed in the United States is now over 40 weeks.

One recent survey found that 77 percent of all U.S. small businesses do not plan to hire any more workers.

There are fewer payroll jobs in the United States today than there were back in 2000 even though we have added 30 million extra people to the population since then.

Since December 2007, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8 percent once you account for inflation.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 16.6 million Americans were self-employed back in December 2006. Today, that number has shrunk to 14.5 million.

A Gallup poll from earlier this year found that approximately one out of every five Americans that do have a job consider themselves to be underemployed.

According to author Paul Osterman, about 20 percent of all U.S. adults are currently working jobs that pay poverty-level wages.

Back in 1980, less than 30 percent of all jobs in the United States were low income jobs. Today, more than 40 percent of all jobs in the United States are low income jobs.

Back in 1969, 95 percent of all men between the ages of 25 and 54 had a job. In July, only 81.2 percent of men in that age group had a job.

One recent survey found that one out of every three Americans would not be able to make a mortgage or rent payment next month if they suddenly lost their current job.

The Federal Reserve recently announced that the total net worth of U.S. households declined by 4.1 percent in the 3rd quarter of 2011 alone.

According to a recent study conducted by the BlackRock Investment Institute, the ratio of household debt to personal income in the United States is now 154 percent.

As the economy has slowed down, so has the number of marriages. According to a Pew Research Center analysis, only 51 percent of all Americans that are at least 18 years old are currently married. Back in 1960, 72 percent of all U.S. adults were married.

The U.S. Postal Service has lost more than 5 billion dollars over the past year.

In Stockton, California home prices have declined 64 percent from where they were at when the housing market peaked.

Nevada has had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation for 59 months in a row.

If you can believe it, the median price of a home in Detroit is now just $6000.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida are sitting vacant. That figure is 63 percent larger than it was just ten years ago.

New home construction in the United States is on pace to set a brand new all-time record low in 2011.

19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 are now living with their parents.

Electricity bills in the United States have risen faster than the overall rate of inflation for five years in a row.

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, health care costs accounted for just 9.5 percent of all personal consumption back in 1980. Today they account for approximately 16.3 percent.

One study found that approximately 41 percent of all working age Americans either have medical bill problems or are currently paying off medical debt.

If you can believe it, one out of every seven Americans has at least 10 credit cards.

The United States spends about 4 dollars on goods and services from China for every one dollar that China spends on goods and services from the United States.

It is being projected that the U.S. trade deficit for 2011 will be 558.2 billion dollars.

The retirement crisis in the United States just continues to get worse. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, 46 percent of all American workers have less than $10,000 saved for retirement, and 29 percent of all American workers have less than $1,000 saved for retirement.

Today, one out of every six elderly Americans lives below the federal poverty line.

According to a study that was just released, CEO pay at America’s biggest companies rose by 36.5 percent in just one recent 12 month period.

Today, the “too big to fail” banks are larger than ever. The total assets of the six largest U.S. banks increased by 39 percent between September 30, 2006 and September 30, 2011.

The six heirs of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton have a net worth that is roughly equal to the bottom 30 percent of all Americans combined.

According to an analysis of Census Bureau data done by the Pew Research Center, the median net worth for households led by someone 65 years of age or older is 47 times greater than the median net worth for households led by someone under the age of 35.

If you can believe it, 37 percent of all U.S. households that are led by someone under the age of 35 have a net worth of zero or less than zero.

A higher percentage of Americans is living in extreme poverty (6.7 percent) than has ever been measured before.

Child homelessness in the United States is now 33 percent higher than it was back in 2007.

Since 2007, the number of children living in poverty in the state of California has increased by 30 percent.

Sadly, child poverty is absolutely exploding all over America. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 36.4 percent of all children that live in Philadelphia are living in poverty, 40.1 percent of all children that live in Atlanta are living in poverty, 52.6 percent of all children that live in Cleveland are living in poverty and 53.6 percent of all children that live in Detroit are living in poverty.

Today, one out of every seven Americans is on food stamps and one out of every four American children is on food stamps.

In 1980, government transfer payments accounted for just 11.7 percent of all income. Today, government transfer payments account for more than 18 percent of all income.

A staggering 48.5 percent of all Americans live in a household that receives some form of government benefits. Back in 1983, that number was below 30 percent.

Right now, spending by the federal government accounts for about 24 percent of GDP. Back in 2001, it accounted for just 18 percent.

For fiscal year 2011, the U.S. federal government had a budget deficit of nearly 1.3 trillion dollars. That was the third year in a row that our budget deficit has topped one trillion dollars.

If Bill Gates gave every single penny of his fortune to the U.S. government, it would only cover the U.S. budget deficit for about 15 days.

Amazingly, the U.S. government has now accumulated a total debt of 15 trillion dollars. When Barack Obama first took office the national debt was just 10.6 trillion dollars.

If the federal government began right at this moment to repay the U.S. national debt at a rate of one dollar per second, it would take over 440,000 years to pay off the national debt.

The U.S. national debt has been increasing by an average of more than 4 billion dollars per day since the beginning of the Obama administration.

During the Obama administration, the U.S. government has accumulated more debt than it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that Bill Clinton took office.

Of course, after going through all these numbers, the obvious question is, “how has it come to this?” The Economic Collapse has a simple answer:

“. . . the heart of our economic problems is the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve is a perpetual debt machine, it has almost completely destroyed the value of the U.S. dollar and it has an absolutely nightmarish track record of incompetence. If the Federal Reserve system had never been created, the U.S. economy would be in far better shape. The federal government needs to shut down the Federal Reserve and start issuing currency that is not debt-based.

As long as banks continue to get bailed out, gold and silver will continue to rise relative to fiat currencies. You’re not getting bailed out, but the big companies “too big to fail” know they have NO RISK of failure because the powers that be are so corrupt, they will continue to bail out the big boys at your expense. The good news is that it makes gold a very attractive purchase in today’s economic environment.

“It’s been three years since the financial crisis crippled the American economy,” Steve Kroft begins his 60 Minutes piece this week. “[Yet] there has not been a single prosecution of a high ranking Wall Street executive or major financial firm.”

60 Minutes producer James Jacoby wanted to find out why, and one of the first people he spoke with was Tom Borgers, a man who literally helped write the book on the financial meltdown.

Borgers was a senior fraud investigator for the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC), a bipartisan panel set up by the Obama administration to examine the causes of the crisis. In the end, the FCIC issued a 500-page report on its findings, required reading for James and associate producer Maria Gavrilovic.

One of Borgers’ chief responsibilities at the FCIC was finding, vetting, and interviewing whistle-blowers, and he was therefore helpful in leading the 60 Minutes team to sources including Eileen Foster and Richard Bowen, the whistle-blowers who are the centerpiece of the 60 Minutes piece, “Prosecuting Wall Street.”

When Steve Kroft and Borgers sat down together, it was a great interview: honest, direct, and full of useful information. “I think he felt a real duty to make sure that a lot of their findings were followed up upon,” James told Overtime. “Most people who leave those commissions don’t really ever talk about it.” Which is why we are thrilled to feature Borgers this week on Overtime.

A seasoned fraud investigator, Tom Borgers worked for the government in the wake of the Savings & Loans scandal, preparing and directing criminal referrals, and responsible for the recovery of multi-million dollar claims. During that time, Borgers saw hundreds of bank executives prosecuted and sent to prison, a stark contrast with what’s happened in our current economic crisis.

Borgers tells Kroft that the FCIC found evidence of trillions of dollars of fraud and gross negligence, and that in the area of mortgage fraud, he found crimes committed by “mortgage originators, underwriters, banks . . . across the board.” Yet still, no prosecutions . . . so far.

Despite that, Tom Borgers’ personal contributions have been recognized. In 2010, he was awarded the Examiner of the Year Award by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, DC. It noted his “selfless and tireless service to the United States people” through his work at the FCIC. That same year, he was also honored with a Special Act of Service Award by the FCIC. In February of 2011, he became a managing director of a financial consulting firm in New York City.

These days, many community causes as well as sports teams, churches, and scout groups are all looking for ways to raise money. Most are struggling with fundraising ideas because rarely does anyone in these organizations think outside the box. Face it – traditional fundraising avenues just don’t work. You need to try something different.

How about organizing gold fundraisers with the pure 999.9 gold-backed savings accounts from Karatbars, International?

Yes, gold fundraisers essentially take the pressure off parents and youth groups by offering a valuable asset instead of the typical nonsense most fundraisers employ. How can a Karatbars gold-backed savings account be used for fundraising?

In this day and age, I don’t think we have to convince anyone that a dire economic landscape is in the not-so-far-off future. Gold is your hedge against inflation and a means to protect yourself from the eventual collapse of the U.S. dollar. Karatbars allow you to convert your depreciating fiat paper money into real gold in small denominations, essentially starting your own gold backed savings account with gold currency that is accepted and approved for use in 194 countries worldwide.

You can’t beat this form of fundraising because it’s something that people actually want and certainly need right now. And as you refer more people to set up their gold backed savings accounts with Karatbars, you earn commissions from every new customer that funds their accounts! Does your bank do that for you?

Unlike traditional ridiculous fundraisers where you have to stock inventory, run events, hassle people with guilt, and finally ship or delivery whatever trinkets that the recipients just throw away anyway, gold fundraisers with Karatbars take care of all the hassles so you don’t have to do anything but sign them up with a no-fee free gold-backed savings Karatbar account.

At that point they become your referral and you (and your organization or cause) earns money each and every time that user funds their account – forever! This is money you can use as cash or you can exchange for gold yourself and even set up a gold-backed savings account for your organization for even more fundraising power! The compensation plan is quite lucrative where many are making this their primary business as so many people are either unemployed or looking to branch out on their own from their hum-drum nine-to-five existence. That’s how great this Karatbars gold program really is!

There are no fees, costs, obligations or whatever by using Karatbars as a fundraising vehicle. Strict Swiss certification standards have always been met and karatbars are certified by the LBMA so no one can consider this a scam.

Just by introducing Karatbars is a great way to earn exponential funds for whatever your community or cause is. Remember: accounts are free to everyone and customers have full access to their accounts online. It’s hassle-free to you, the fundraiser. Talk about right time, right product, and right place. When was the last time you were approached to buy gold for fundraising purposes? Probably never – that’s what’s called opportunity.

There absolutely is no downside to fundraising with Karatbars. Start today by registering your group or community cause here and we’ll show you step-by-step why this is such a great opportunity and how you can be successful in raising money via the Karatbars gold program.